Field
The present invention relates to a touch panel capable of detecting a capacitive touch input of a finger of a human body or a touch input tool having conduction characteristics similar to those of the finger, and more particularly, to a structure of a touch panel having a high resolution so as to detect a touch input tool having a diameter smaller than a unit pi.
Discussion of the Background
In general, a touch panel, which is attached onto a display apparatus such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED), or the like, is one of the input apparatuses generating a signal corresponding to a touch position when the touch panel is touched by an object such as a finger, a pen, or the like. The touch panel has been used in various fields such as a small portable terminal, an industrial terminal, a digital information device, and the like, and use fields of the touch panel have increased.
FIGS. 1A to 1C are views illustrating examples of touch patterns of capacitive touch panels according to the related art.
The capacitive touch panel indicates a device generating a predetermined capacitance between a finger of a human body or a touch input tool having conduction characteristics similar to those of the finger and a touch pattern (a conductive material) of the touch panel and deciding whether or not a touch is made on the basis of a change in a voltage applied to the generated capacitance.
As a resolution of the touch panel required in a smart phone, or the like, is increased, the touch pattern constituting the touch panel has become more elaborate and has been diversified in order to accurately and rapidly decide a touch position.
The patterns of the touch panels illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 1C, which illustrate examples of the capacitive touch patterns according to the related art, had a structure in which two pieces 110a and 110b face each other to form one unit pattern 100 (see FIG. 1A) or one unit pattern is formed using entire one figure shape 120 or 140 (see FIGS. 1B and 1C).
The touch panels according to the related art illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 1C are manufactured to decrease sizes themselves of unit patterns 100, 120, and 140 on demand of the touch panels, thereby making it possible to increase a resolution. However, as the sizes of the unit patterns are decreased, the number of touch signal lines connected to the unit patterns is exponentially increased.
As the number of touch signal lines is increased, an area occupied by the touch signal lines in the touch panel is increased, which may not be preferable in entire performance of the touch panel.
In addition, since a size of a touch panel for a smart phone or a size of a touch panel for a laptop computer are completely different from each other, a problem that shapes themselves of the unit patterns rather than the sizes of the unit patterns should be again designed depending on sizes or purposes of the touch panels may occur.
It is not preferable to differently design the shapes themselves of the unit patterns for each touch panel since driving schemes of touch integrated chips (ICs) deciding whether or not a touch is made should be differently programmed for each touch panel.
In addition, since the touch patterns disposed in a matrix form are extended from top side to bottom side of each column, the number of sensor signal lines is further increased toward a bottom portion at which the touch IC is positioned, such that an entire disposition region occupied by the sensor signal lines becomes larger in a lateral direction. Therefore, at the bottom portion closely positioned from the touch IC, there was the problem that the sensor signal lines are displayed to the outside by a color distinguished from that of the touch patterns.